FLYDUBAI CUTS BOEING 737 MAX ORDER
The airline reduces its order by 65 aircraft
Budget carrier flydubai on Wednesday said it had reduced its Boeing 737 MAX order by 65 aircraft.
“Flydubai has reached an agreement with Boeing and the airline has adjusted its aircraft orders which had been placed in 2013 and 2017. Flydubai will revise down the total number of aircraft it will receive by 65 aircraft to 172,” the airline said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
The changes to flydubai’s aircraft order follow a review of its fleet plans in line with the airline’s strategy of rebuilding the travel sector following the Covid-19 pandemic and the changing dynamics of the airline’s route structure, it said.
The global aviation industry has taken a massive hit from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The International Air Transport Association has projected that Middle East carriers will post $47.7 billion losses in 2021 compared to an estimated net industry loss of $126.4 billion for the previous year.
Globally, industry revenues are expected to be at $458 billion, which make up 55 per cent of revenues generated in 2019.
Flydubai had announced a Dh712.6 million loss for 2020 compared to a Dh198.2 million profit in the previous year, hit by Covid-19 and the grounding of the Boeing MAX 737.
Flydubai said it took delivery of two Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes in June and another 11 aircraft will join the fleet by the end of the year.
The carrier operates a single fleet type of 52 Boeing 737 aircraft, including 36 Next-generation Boeing 737-800, 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft.